Chaos, the Next Avatar
by ThePink1 at Reefside.Net
Summary: When Azula struck Aang down in Ba Sing Se, everyone thought the Avatar was dead. But Katara healed him with the Spirit Oasis water, and he survived. What if he HAD died for a while? A gifted waterbender is born, & the Avatar Cycle will never be the same.


**Chaos, the Next Avatar**

Avatar Fanfiction by: _A J_

Standard Disclaimer applies, but all O.C.s are mine, as is the plot.

_Chapter one: "Bato, meet your daughter …"_

She was born when Ba Sing Se fell to the Fire nation. Her father was Bato of the Southern Water Tribe; her mother was Kaihua, an assistant nurse. Kaihua lived at the temple where Bato recovered after a terrible battle, and the two fell in love.

Bato tried to get back in time for the baby's delivery, but was delayed rescuing the Avatar and his teammates. When the Gaang (he could never hide his grin at the name their youngest member Toph had coined,) undertook their clandestine journey through the Fire nation, he convinced his friend Hakoda to add a stop to their 'rebel round-up' before the proposed invasion.

"What is this about?" Hakoda asked as the pair walked up the hilly path from the ship docks.

"When I was convalescing here, I got to be pretty close with the locals. I just want to make sure they made it through the Fire Nation attack Sokka told us about." The two got to the arched entryway of the temple. A gasp went up from their left, and Bato was jumped by a young woman who wrapped her arms around his neck and planted her lips on his without a word.

Witnessing her warm welcome, and the occupied papoose on her back, Hakoda cleared his throat with a smile. "And just how close _did_ you get with the natives, my friend?"

Coming up for air with a sheepish grin, Bato looked over at his friend. "Ah, Hakoda ... allow me to introduce my moonsworn mate, Kaihua."

"Charmed, miss," Hakoda said, bowing over her hand. "Am I to understand additional congratulations are in order as well, you two?"

Kaihua blushed, turning back to her until-now absent new husband. "I know you wanted to be here for the birth, but she wanted to be here more urgently than even _I_ could have foreseen." She brought the sling with the baby around her shoulder.

"She? I ... we have ... a daughter?" Bato asked looking down in wonder at the tiny face before him. She yawned, and Kaihua kissed the top of her head tenderly.

"Bato, say hello to Chaoxi."

"Chaoxi ..." he murmured, crouching down so he was eye-level with the girl.

"Yue's radiance lit this one's way." Hakoda cooed, admiring their baby's jet-black hair and eyes, which made her preternaturally white skin shine all the brighter.

"You have _no_ idea;" Kaihua moaned. "Half the day in labor, and Chaoxi only deigned to show herself to the world when the moon did that night."

"When is her birthing day?" Bato asked.

"Remember, I said she was early ... She was born six weeks ago, just before the news about Ba Sing Se was announced ..."

"Six weeks ..! Oh, Kai ... I am so sorry ..." Bato wrapped his two favorite girls in his arms, regretting every second he'd been away from them. This war be damned, and himself as well for it ... but he intended to make it all up to her ... to them _both_ ... starting right now. He turned to Hakoda, who grinned.

"Request for leave granted," he murmurred good-naturedly. "We'll come back for you before we sail to the Fire Nation capital."

Kaihua gasped. "The Fire Nation capital?" she asked and looked from one man to the other. "Why would you go _there_?"

"We're going to face the Fire Lord, and end the war," Hakoda said.

"Wha ... What?" Haihua glared at them both. "Just you two?"

"No," Hakoda chuckled. "Several ships, benders from each nation, and ... the Avatar."

"The Av ..?" She looked around furtively, but the four of them were alone. "Then Aang ... survived?" Bato nodded and Kaihua sighed in relief. "Thank the spirits of the land. When we heard ..." He nodded again, knowing what Aang meant to the world, and especially to those who'd met him.

"I'll see you again soon," Hakoda told the lovebirds as they embraced again. "I've still got a lot more stops to make before the Day of Black Sun." He and Bato clasped forearms, then Hakoda hugged Kaihua. "Welcome to the tribe, Kaihua. And welcome to the family, Chaoxi."

"The family?" Kaihua wonder as Hakoda departed.

"Our fathers were cousins," Bato told her, chuckling. The two waved until he was out of sight, then returned to their (formerly his) pavillion to get reacquainted.


End file.
